Tears of Snow
by NoTearsFalling
Summary: Ever since he was little, Percy had always held the belief that snow was caused by Khione's crying. He didn't expect to be right.


**A/N This takes place sometime during the first series. The description of Khione matches the ones in the HOO books.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HOO.**

* * *

Percy stared outside his window. He was staying with his mom and Paul for Christmas. Percy sighed. It was snowing really badly.

Percy thought back to when his mom had first taught him about mythology.

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Sally smiled down at her young son. He was smiling innocently and full of joy as he spoke, "Mommy, tell me a story!"_

 _Sally thought a moment, "You know the Greek gods that I told you about?"_

 _Percy bounced giddily, "Oh! Poseidon and Zeus and Hades and Artemis and_ "

" _Yes, those." Sally said quickly cutting off her excited son, "Well, weather is caused by them."_

" _Really?" Percy's face was lit up in excitement. He would believe anything that his mother told him._

" _Really," Sally smiled down softly at her son. "The thunderstorms are caused by Zeus. The thunder and lightning happen when he is mad or just wants to be dramatic," cue the thunder, "The rain happens when… well, actually I don't know what that is for. Maybe that's Hera crying."_

 _Percy frowned worried for the lady that he didn't know, "Why is she sad?"_

 _Sally's face saddened. She really didn't want to explain this, "Um, sometimes mommies and daddies aren't very faithful to each other. They go off with other men or women and the other parent gets sad."_

 _Percy's frown deepened. "That's not very nice. Her-Hera doesn't des-deserve that."_

 _Sally smiled proudly at the way Percy had sounded at out the words, but her tone was still sad, "I know Percy. You will always respect woman won't you? You won't hurt them right?"_

 _Percy puffed his little chest out proudly, "Right!" Percy's eyes twinkled merrily, "Imma be a hero mommy!"_

 _Sally smiled proudly as she stared down at him, "I know Percy. I know."_

 _Percy's face suddenly wrinkled up in confusion, "Mommy, who makes snow?"_

" _Khione, I believe." Sally replied after a moment of thought._

 _Percy got a thoughtful expression on his face, "Does Kh-Khione cry?"_

 _Sally frowned as she thought a moment, "I don't know honey. Why do you ask?"_

" _Do you think Khione is crying when it snows?" Percy asked curiously._

 _Sally looked down at her young son astonished. She had never thought of that. Sally shrugged stuttering a bit, "I-I don't know. Maybe… I've never thought about that."_

 _Percy frowned, "Mommy, I think she was crying. I wonder why?"_

 _Sally smiled gently, "I guess we will never know. Good night, Percy."_

 _ **Flashback End**_

Percy looked out the window again. The snow was getting heavier and heavier, worse and worse. Finally, it was a full out blizzard. Percy frowned. If his lifelong belief was true, then Khione must be bawling her eyes out.

"I'm surprised that you noticed demigod. Your the first one." Percy spun around from the window to see a woman standing there. She had a mane of lush black hair, coffee-brown eyes, and unnaturally pale skin that was the color of snow. She wore a white dress and a silver crown on her head.

Percy looked at her weirdly, "Are you Lady Khione?"

"Lady Khione. Hmm, I like that, but for now, just call me Khione." the goddess walked up to Percy and sat next to him looking out the window. "Isn't it nice out?"

Percy turned to look outside and then sent her a questioning glance, "It's snowing. Aren't people like sad and stuff when it snows or rains because the sun is gone?"

Khione's eyes narrowed bitterly, "Yes, Apollo was always liked better than me… and I suppose Zeus and Hera as well."

Percy didn't say a thing for a while but was watching her curiously out his the corner of his eye. He turned to the goddess when he realized that her eyes were a little red. He frowned, "Have you been crying?"

Khione subconsciously rubbed her eyes, "Yes."

Percy frowned, "Why?"

"Many reasons. I'm sad, I'm lonely, and I'm hated." She paused, "It didn't used to be that way you know."

Percy relaxed like he used to do when his mother told him a story as a kid, "What was it like before?"

Khione leaned against the window and started tracing patterns on it as she began her story. "It was so much better than now. You see, when I first became a goddess, I was loved. After a millennium of it being hot all the time, people enjoyed the break, the cold. The other gods and goddesses loved me too. If you have every looked at a snowflake closely, you will notice their beauty. Not one snowflake is the same. Everyone enjoyed this beauty, and they reveled in the cold. But then things changed."

Percy nudged her gently, prodding her to continue, "But then what happened?"

Khione sighed sadly, "It became _too_ cold. Everyone got tired of me and the cold. They wanted warmth again. As for my snowflakes, well, they decided that they weren't beautiful anymore. Percy, snow used to come when I was happy. When I was so joyful that all of my extra happiness burst into beautiful snowflakes and drifted down to earth for everyone to see. But now, it is different. You were right, Percy, in assuming that snow was my tears. I've been betrayed, Percy. I've been betrayed."

For a while, there was absolute silence as they watched the snow come down. It would pick up every once and awhile when a tear managed to leak out one of Khione's eyes. Finally, Percy spoke up quietly, "I'll be your friend."

Khione looked over sharply at Percy. "What?"

Percy looked over at her with a determined expression on his face, "I said that I'll be your friend." Percy gave her a serious look, "If you dare betray me though, our friendship is gone."

Khione looked at him for a moment as if deciding if he was serious or not. She held out her pinky finger, much like a child would do, "I promise to be your friend and not to betray you, but you have to promise that too. Pinky promise?"

Percy smiled gently, "Pinky promise."

* * *

 _"Luke, please, don't do this."_

" _You can't stop me Percy. I've made my decision now. Olympus will be destroyed."_

" _You can't do this."_

" _Face it Percy, the gods' reign is coming to an end. If you aren't going to join me then I guess you are going down with them and the rest of the demigods."_

" _Luke-"_

 _"Good-bye, Percy. There is a new Golden Age coming. You won't be part of it."_

* * *

"I've been betrayed, Khione. I've been betrayed."

A small snowflake landed on his shoulder to let him know that he wasn't alone. She was there.

* * *

A few years later, Percy fell into Tartarus with Annabeth, and he thought that his life was at its worst point. He was wrong.

When Percy finally got out of Tartarus, he was surrounded by his friends again and despite the upcoming battle with Gaea, he felt that his life was finally looking up for once, but that soon changed when all of the demigods traded stories.

They told Percy and Annabeth everything that had happened up to that point, and when Piper told them about what had happened between Khione and them, he felt betrayed.

At first, when Percy had first heard what had happened between the demigods and Khione at Boreas' home, he had convinced himself that Khione was just suffering from split personalities or something like the other gods. Now though, he realized that he had been fooling himself. Khione had betrayed him and turned to the enemy's side just like Luke had done.

Percy didn't understand why though. Maybe she wanted to feel special again, and she thought that would come in a new age. Whatever the reason was though, that didn't change the fact that she had betrayed him.

* * *

"I've been betrayed before Khione, multiple times. I always knew that I would be betrayed again. I just didn't expect it to come from you."

It snowed hard that night, harder than it had ever before in the history of the world.

* * *

 _To storm or fire the world must fall._

"Well guess what Khione, my world fell... hard. And you know what? It fell to storm."

* * *

 **A/N Please review? (I know it was depressing. Please don't kill me!)**


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